Abbie Bennett

Abbie Bennett is an award-winning journalist and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in English and a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication with a reporting concentration and political immersion from the UNC School of Media and Journalism. She has been recognized with awards for excellence in investigative, breaking news and politics/election reporting by the N.C. Press Association and the Association Press.

Raised an Army Brat, Bennett has lived on bases and attended DoDEA schools across the United States and overseas. She was a first-generation college student and recipient of military scholarships, including the XVIII Airborne Corps scholarship and the MJ James Ursano scholarship.

Prior to joining Connecting Vets, Bennett was a reporter for The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., where she covered local and state government, served as an online producer and built and led the real-time news team. She was the most senior member of the McClatchy Carolinas real-time team, specializing in breaking viral news, frequently generating millions of readers for McClatchy publications across the U.S. monthly.

Bennett previously reported for The Daily Reflector in Greenville, N.C., publications in Charlotte, N.C. and was a reporter, visual journalist and editor for the Fort Bragg Paraglide and Elite Magazine, a military lifestyle magazine published by The Fayetteville Observer. She has reported while embedded with active and National Guard units during hurricanes and other disasters in the Carolinas.

Bennett has also lectured for journalism classes at East Carolina University and the University of North Carolina.

When she's not reporting, Bennett enjoys spending time with her cat, volunteering and fostering animals for local rescues and reading